Rebel Without A Clue

by Carolyn Scott

  "I got sidetracked."

  "Who with?"

  "Does it matter?"

  His body went rigid and his face turned expressionless. If it wasn't for the anger simmering in his dark eyes, I'd have thought my challenge hadn't bothered him. But, for whatever reason, it did and I was about to feel the brunt of something fierce.

  "Cat, last night you told me Roberta and Grimes have a secret agenda for hiring you. Today, you spent over three hours with her and didn't answer your phone. What am I supposed to think?"

  I rested my hand on his arm. "It's very sweet that you were worried, Will—"

  He jerked away. "Don't patronize me, Cat. I'm not a dumb actor you can charm into believing everything you say."

  "Hey, there's no need to get derogatory. There are many intelligent actors around." Hopefully he wouldn't ask for names because I couldn't think of any off the top of my head. "And if you let me finish, I was going to say don't worry about me. I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself. I've survived Hollywood for Christ sake."

  "This isn't funny, Cat."

  Who said I was joking? "You were okay with me going this morning."

  "I didn't know then what I know now. Grimes is a dangerous man. I made some phone calls and found out he's got priors for every minor sexual offense going around and he's been held on suspicion of rape twice. He only got off because the victims were too terrified to testify."

  Scarface hadn't mentioned that part. "Look, Will." I touched his arm again and this time he didn't shake me off. "I don't trust them either. That's why I met Roberta in a public place."

  He said nothing.

  "Anyway, it was worth it."

  He cocked an eyebrow. "What did you find out?" Once an investigator, always an investigator.

  "She gave me a list of Lou's friends. And surprise, surprise, they've all got priors."

  "How do you know? Did she tell you that?"

  Oops. "And one other thing," I went on, pretending I hadn't heard him. "She and Grimes said—"

  "You saw Forde, didn't you?"

  I tucked a stray hair behind my ear. "I sort of bumped into him."

  "Sort of? Fuck." He ground the heel of his hand into his right eye. "Fuck!"

  Maybe it wasn't a good time to mention I was seeing Scarface again that night.

  Chapter 12

  "Christ, Cat, do you ever do anything I ask?" said Will, trying to intimidate me with one of his infamous glares.

  "Maybe if you asked, I would."

  He didn't seem to hear that. "Forde's a good cop but he's a borderline human being. He's got an agenda of his own. Harrison Forde only does what suits Harrison Forde. You don't want to get messed up with him." He gripped my shoulders and held me at arms length. "Okay?" He shook me slightly when I didn't answer. "Cat?"

  "Okay." Jeez, the green-eyed monster had reared its ugly head, stuck out its tongue and given Will the finger. Although a teensy part of me felt flattered that he recognized he had competition, I mostly felt annoyed. He was my boss and part-time lover, not my keeper.

  "Good." He blew out a long breath. "You coming over tonight?"

  Yeah, straight after I visit the one guy you want me to stay away from. "I don't know." Before he could object, I said, "I think I know where the jewelry might be hidden."

  His brows shot up. "Really? Where?"

  "A bank's safety deposit box. And the code number is the box's number and the key opens it."

  "Safety deposit box numbers are longer than four digits."

  Damn. I'd been so sure I was on the right track. What else could it be? Then I remembered what Roberta had told me. The other thief. Maybe he was involved. "What about half a number?"

  "Who has the other half?"

  "Who would Lou trust that his wife doesn't know about?"

  "His girlfriend?"

  "His missing partner. From the bank heist," I added when he shrugged again.

  "Ah, so you know about the other thief?"

  "Roberta told me."

  "Did she also tell you the money was never found? They got away with the lot and Scarletti wouldn't divulge its whereabouts to the police. He claims the other guy had it."

  "How do you know?"

  "Like I said, I called some of my police contacts this morning. It's all on Scarletti's file."

  Which means Scarface knew about the missing money and partner too.

  "So," I said, thinking out loud, "the only man who knows the other thief's identity is Lou and Lou won't give him up because he wants his half of the money when he gets out."

  "They must have disposed of the money together before Lou got caught," Will said. "That way if one got caught, the other couldn't double cross him and take the money." He started pacing the floor, fingering his stubble absently as he thought.

  "In a deposit box with an eight digit number that they wrote down, tore in half and kept one half each. That way neither man could run off with the loot."

  Will kissed me fiercely on the lips. "Cat, that sounds crazy but I think you're right."

  Now that's not something I hear everyday. Or every lifetime.

  "We should tell the police," he said, sounding like that's exactly what he didn't want to do.

  "Like hell. This is my case. I had it first. They can wait until after we find the money."

  "Cat—"

  "No, listen first. This is what bugged Dad. He couldn't let the Scarletti case drop after he put Lou in jail."

  Will nodded. "He was still obsessed after I joined the company. He even visited Scarletti in prison, although I didn't know why. So?"

  "So this is my chance to prove that I can solve it."

  "Prove? To who?"

  I shrugged. I'd said more than I meant to. "To myself, to Dad…"

  "And to me," he said softly.

  I didn't look at him. I couldn't.

  "You don't have anything to prove to me, Cat. I know you can do anything you put your mind to." He touched my cheek but I drew my face away. I didn't want empty words.

  "Okay," he said. "You can do it. But we're putting a time limit on solving it and if things get any more dangerous, you're off the case."

  I blinked at him. Was this the Will I worked for? The Will who never put a foot wrong? The Will who didn't want to get on the wrong side of the police only a few days earlier?

  "Don't look at me like that," he said.

  "Sorry," I said, taking another sneak peak at him anyway. "Thanks."

  "Do you think Roberta knows?"

  "I think that's what she hired me to find. The jewelry story never felt right. Especially now I know she lied about almost everything else."

  "But is she the type? You said she was mousy."

  "She's not a mouse, she's a man-eating lioness. Not many mousy women wear tight leather pants to go to the market."

  He shuddered. "Scary thought."

  "But why not bank the money in a normal account?"

  "Banks have to report any deposits over a hundred thousand in a normal account, but not in safety deposit boxes."

  "There's a hell of a lot of banks in Renford, not to mention ones in other cities and even other countries."

  "Yeah, the sort that don't ask questions…"

  "So now what?" I asked.

  "Now, you can come here and kiss me." He pulled me to him and we locked lips. My feet came off the floor and my body turned to mush as I gave into the heat. Who'd have thought, but kissing Will was getting better and better.

  Until the door opened and he dropped me. I fell back to the floor, just managing to land on my feet. I tried to look cool as Carl entered.

  He took one look at us, rolled his eyes and said, "Get a room you two."

  So much for that secret.

  He walked past us to his office. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone."

  "You were gone a long time," said Will, switching easily into work mode.

  The two men disappeared into Carl's office. Except for a pile of unopened mail and a heap of filing, th
ere wasn't much for me to do so I went outside. The aroma of Gina's flowers, and the need to gossip, drew me to her shop. She finished serving a customer then beckoned me over.

  One look at her face and I knew something was wrong. Her lips were pursed so tight it looked like they were sewn together, and a little muscle in her neck ticked. She picked up a bouquet of lilies and a pair of florist's scissors and hacked away at the bottom of the stems. Not just snipped, but really chopped like they were the enemy.

  "I take it something's wrong," I said, keeping my distance and one eye on the scissors. "Unless those flowers just went Little Shop of Horrors on you."

  "That bastard!" Hack. "He dumped me." Hack.

  "Oh, you poor thing. No wonder you're upset." I stepped forward to give her a hug but she pointed the scissors at me so I held my ground.

  "No, you don't get it. He dumped me, Cat. Me!"

  Ah. Gina had never been the dumpee. She'd always been the dumper, and always before the guy could get too comfortable in the relationship. I don't know how she got over her men so fast but I never questioned it. She was a worldly girl with a good heart and low tolerance for boredom. If a guy lasted longer than three months, he must have been interesting. Or really good in bed. Rarely were they both, according to Gina.

  "It happens to everyone now and again," I said. "And it's not like you were serious about him."

  She chopped away at the stems until they were only three inches long. No prizes for guessing what would be on sale later.

  "Oh. You did like him, didn't you?"

  "No! He was a computer programmer. Of course I couldn't be serious about a nerd."

  I couldn't believe it. Who'd have thought Gina could be so complicated. She was a girl who'd partied hard from the age of sixteen. Every night. Even I had trouble keeping up with her after returning from L.A.

  "You'll be okay," I said, finally getting close enough to give her hug. "I have to go, but you know where I am if you need me. Otherwise I'll see you tonight."

  "Let's go out and get raging drunk." She looked at me with big, watery eyes. "Please."

  Who can deny a friend in need? Not me. Nope. Scarface would have to wait. Phew, I got out of that one.

  I gave her another hug and returned to the office. Will opened his door and crooked his finger. I thought I was in for a bit of afternoon fun, despite his warning to keep work and sex separate, but I was disappointed.

  He indicated I should sit in the chair opposite him. He sat on the desk overlooking me. "I know I said you can keep on with this case…"

  "You're not backing down now, Will. I'll just do it anyway."

  He sighed. "I know. Just be careful. And keep me informed at all times. I'm busy now but I'll drop everything if you want help."

  It wasn't what he'd wanted to say and it must have irritated the shit out of him to not order me to leave the case alone. "I'll be careful. And Will? Congratulations. You're learning."

  He huffed out a humorless laugh. "Get out of here, Cat, before I change my mind."

  I stood. "I've got to go out this afternoon."

  "Where to?"

  I almost lied but checked myself. After his change of heart, I should at least keep him in the loop. "I thought I'd visit Stonewater's City Wide branch. I want to see if anyone remembers anything about the other robber."

  He opened his mouth to say something then shut it and shrugged. "Okay. See you tonight?"

  "I can't. Gina's having a crisis. I need to console her."

  "Something tells me you'll be hungover again tomorrow."

  Again? Hmmm, he really hadn't missed all that much.

  Driving along the freeway to Stonewater, I called Scarface and told him I couldn't meet up with him later.

  "You're avoiding me," he said.

  "Not at all. Gina needs me."

  "Gina's a big girl."

  "But vulnerable on the inside."

  "Seems to be a lot of those people in your life right now. Call me when you need a real man." He disconnected.

  What the hell did that mean? Had he guessed about me and Will? Was he implying Will was vulnerable? I considered that but decided Scarface didn't know his old buddy as well as he thought. Will was no pushover. He may not always notice things because he was so busy, but once he did, he faced the issue head on. Like tackling Tanya over the missing money.

  I arrived at the Stonewater bank in the early afternoon. It was located in one of the tentacles of the enormous shopping mall so I parked and wandered around until I found it. On the way, I bought some sexy lingerie and a dress to wear that night. I refrained from buying shoes because I didn't want to lug too many bags all the way back to the car at the other end of the mall.

  The bank was fairly quiet and only two tellers worked, a twenty-something redhead with fat rings on every finger and long nails painted lime green, and a middle aged woman who looked worn out. I figured she was the most likely to have been around when Lou robbed the bank but I was served by the younger woman, Elle according to her nametag.

  "Hi," I said. "Love your nails. Did you get them done around here?"

  She wiggled her fingers and the little jewels dangling off the two pinkies sparkled. "Bunny from Nail Me did them. I wasn't sure about the green at first, but she said it would go great with my hair." She held them up to her hair. "Whaddaya think?"

  "Good choice."

  "So what can I do for you today?"

  "You didn't happen to work around here twelve years ago, did you?"

  She snorted. "How old do you think I am?"

  "Sorry, just thought I'd ask. Your co-worker?"

  "Sheila? Yeah, maybe. Hey, Sheila." Sheila looked up from her customer but her fingers kept tapping away at the keyboard. "How long you worked here?"

  "Too long."

  "Yeah, but how long?"

  Sheila was the exact opposite of perky Elle. Elle wore so much makeup she could pass for a badly tanned clown, but Sheila wore none. Not even mascara, Heaven forbid. Her face sagged as if she'd spent her entire life frowning and her dull blue eyes implored customers to be quick and get the hell out of there so she could just go home and put her feet up.

  "Nearly sixteen years," she said.

  "In this branch?" I asked.

  "This branch, this window, this chair, these customers." The woman she was serving scurried away, as if she'd single-handedly caused Sheila so much misery and felt guilty.

  I swapped places with Sheila's next customer who looked relieved. "Were you here twelve years ago when there was a hold up?"

  "I'm always here. Every day except holidays."

  "So you remember that day?"

  "Yep. I remember all the hold-ups. Nothing like a robbery to make life interesting for a while." She said it with a dead-pan face so I couldn't tell whether she was being serious or making a joke.

  "There were two robbers," I said. "One had his mask ripped off and was arrested the next day, the other got away. Do you remember anything about him? Anything at all? His build, eye color, voice."

  "You a cop? If you're a cop you need to go through the manager first." She nodded at a middle-aged man talking on the phone in an enclosed office to my right.

  "No need to call him," I said quickly. "I'm not a cop, I'm a private investigator. I'm working for City Wide's head office. They want to re-open the case and try to find the other thief." I leaned closer to the protective glass separating us. "But they want to keep this low key. Strictly no middle management to be involved."

  "Why?"

  I winked. "You know what Head Office is like."

  She rolled her eyes. "Sure do. Okay, let's see." She sucked on the inside of her cheek and stared off into the distance. "I remember a little bit about him, but nothing I haven't already told the cops. He was tall, over six feet, and well built but not in a fat way. Like an athlete. His mask covered his hair so I don't know the color but his eyes were light blue. And he wasn't like other robbers. The other guy, the one who got caught, came in swearing and orderi
ng everyone around, but this guy said nothing and he didn't scare anyone. He was kind of nice." She smiled a little.

  Christ, she had a crush on him. "Have you seen a therapist about this?" I asked.

  She reeled back and screwed up her face. "Why would I want to see one of those kooks? I'm fine."

  I took out a piece of paper from my handbag and wrote my cell phone number on it and slid it under the window. "Call me if you remember anything else."

  "No business card?"

  I knew there was something I had to do. "I've run out."

  I left the bank and drove out of Stonewater, feeling like I'd achieved something. It was getting late but not so late that I could avoid work. Besides, after being out all morning, I thought putting in some face time with Will would score me some points.

  The drive across town on the freeway was long and boring. I wasn't the greatest driver. My father used to tell me how bad I was. He'd sit in the passenger seat with his hand resting on the hand brake. When I was sixteen, I thought that was an over-reaction but looking back, I could understand his paranoia after I failed my test the second time. I hadn't advanced much since those days. L.A. taught me to be a crazy driver, not a good one. There, you have to muscle your way through all the other cars just to cross lanes.

  So I didn't check my mirrors until it came time to get off the freeway. A dark-colored sedan a few cars back caught my attention as it cut off a slow moving van to take the same exit as me.

  I tried to keep within the lines and watch the car at the same time, but when I nearly side-swiped a truck, I thought it best I keep my eyes on the road. By the time I checked my mirrors again, the sedan had dropped right back. At the first set of traffic lights, it didn't get through and I couldn't stop without causing a major pile up.

  Damn. I hadn't even got a decent look. It could have been Roberta's Crown Vic but I wasn't sure. It was definitely dark blue. Or maybe black.

  Fuck! I was such a loser. Will would have been able to drive, get the make and model, and even memorize the license plate number. Me? I got the finger from a trucker.

  I thumped the steering wheel and swore, hoping my anger would override my frustration. It didn't. I felt like I'd taken a step backward. I'd just started to feel safe after my apartment fire, but suddenly the fear crept back again. Actually, it had slammed into me with a vengeance. Even worse, Will would take me off the case when he found out I'd been followed.